Michelle Janikian - Your Psilocybin Mushroom Companion: An Informative, Easy-to-Use Guide to Understanding Magic Mushrooms—From Tips and Trips to Microdosing and Psychedelic Therapy

Text copyright 2019 Michelle Janikian. Design and concept copyright 2019 Ulysses Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized duplication in whole or in part or dissemination of this edition by any means (including but not limited to photocopying, electronic devices, digital versions, and the internet) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Published in the United States by:

Ulysses Press

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ISBN: 978-1-61243-947-1

ISBN-13: 978-1-6124-3962-4 (eBook)

Library of Congress Catalog Number: 2019905627

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Project editor: Claire Sielaff

Managing editor: Claire Chun

Editor: Scott Calamar

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Back cover photo: Martin Clarke

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Interior art: mushroom Alexander_P/shutterstock.com

IMPORTANT NOTE TO READERS: This book has been written and published for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to serve as medical advice or to be any form of medical treatment. You should always consult with your physician before altering or changing any aspect of your medical treatment. Do not stop or change any prescription medications without the guidance and advice of your physician. Any use of the information in this book is made on the readers good judgment and is the readers sole responsibility. This book is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition and is not a substitute for a physician. This book is independently authored and published and no sponsorship or endorsement of this book by, and no affiliation with, any trademarked brands or other products mentioned within is claimed or suggested. All trademarks that appear in this book belong to their respective owners and are used here for informational purposes only. The author and publisher encourage readers to patronize the quality brands mentioned in this book.

The first time I took mushrooms I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I was only 17 but an enthusiastic cannabis consumer, and I thought of mushrooms as a more intense version of that experience. Years later Ive learned that many people have that misconception the first time they take magic mushrooms, but it doesnt make it any less of a shock to the system when you start tripping. The shrooms I bought and ate in a country club parking lot in northern New Jersey took a long time to kick in. So long, I had been lamenting in my friends bed that they didnt work on me, and I was bound to this boring earthly world forever.

When the walls of my best friends bedroom started breathing, I knew it was time to go home. The next thing I did was incredibly stupid, and if you dont read any more of this book, I hope you just learn from the mistake Im about to reveal. I hugged my friend goodbye in his drivewaywild-eyedgot in my car, and drove home. Even though the drive is only a couple of miles of quiet country road that doesnt permit more than 30 miles per hour, Im still surprised to this day that I survived.

I made it home before my midnight curfew and spent the rest of the night tripping in my childhood bedroom. Even though I ended up having a powerful experience, I was completely unprepared for the magnitude of magic mushrooms. What I really needed was a book like this to read first, to help me understand the journey I was about to embark on, to prepare for the wide range of experiences and emotions mushrooms can elicit, and most of all, to learn respect for psilocybin and never ever get behind the wheel when theyre in my system.

I cant rewrite my own history, but if I can use it to help others take mushrooms safely, then maybe there is a reason I didnt die by crashing into a tree or deer that night. Magic mushrooms have incredible power, and people are inherently curious to try them. They can help you see the world, yourself, and other people in a new light, one thats more accepting, forgiving, or clear. They can cause visions when you close your eyes, and the world around you can seem so much more alive and significant. But they can also be dangerous if special care and preparation arent taken, and they can be nightmarish if your mind-set and environmenta concept well get into known as set and settingarent taken into consideration.

Were currently in the midst of a psychedelic renaissance, and more people than ever before are curious about trying psilocybin mushrooms and other psychedelics. However, the first wave of psychedelic research and its ensuing enthusiasm got out of control, and were still recovering from the damage of the 1960s, of widespread psychedelic use without proper preparation. The stigma surrounding psychedelics created back then is still strong today, so how can we be sure not to repeat the mistakes of that era? For starters, we can use psychedelics safely and prepare for the experience by considering the tips in this book and others like it.

More than 12 years after my first mushroom trip and a few years since I touched them at all, I went to a psilocybin mushroom retreat and tripped for healing for the first time. In the course of a week, I was to take mushrooms three times in shamanic ceremony accompanied by group therapy, integration meetings, and yoga and meditation classes. After my first ceremony on 1.5 grams of Golden Teachers, I was ready to give up. Even though I had done a ton of research and wasnt psychedelic-nave, I had a tremendously challenging experience; I felt completely inadequate and unqualified to write this book, a feeling that had been causing me a constant low-level anxiety for the previous couple months.

I cried for almost the entire trip. It didnt feel like the cathartic experience Id read about in books and online. Instead of less ego, I got more, and a mean, hateful one at that. I felt totally defeated, and I begged the mushrooms, my subconscious, anyone for answers. Why did I feel this way? Why was I so anxious and disconnected? Why was I so depressed and insecure? I wanted to dig into my past and find the one traumatic event that made me the way I was so everything in my life could be explained and I could move on. Instead, I cried and cried, and the only answer I got was: Why is the wrong question.

The next day I began to learn the true value of integrationa concept I had written about and yet didnt fully understand until I was raw from a challenging psychedelic experience, the first bad trip of my life. For me, integrationprocessing and learning from my psychedelic experience (see Chapter 11)began during an unassuming conversation over lunch. But talking about how I felt the night before while someone held space for me changed my outlook incredibly as I moved forward.

I stopped thinking of myself as a reporter there to document the magic mushrooms, let my guard down, and tried to embrace the experience. Thats when I really started learning about psilocybin rather than fearing its mysterious power. I also opened myself up to the 17 other retreat participants and stopped seeking so much alone time. At my own pace, I became more comfortable and stopped constantly comparing myself to everyone.

My second ceremony was much more forgiving. I settled back into my yoga mat and pillows and began to go inwardwhich I was admittedly resisting slightlyand felt tranquil albeit still sad. I thought of my mother and her cancer, my